Energy and natural resources
DRI (direct reduced iron)
Iron made by removing oxygen from iron ore with gas or hydrogen, without melting it.
Last reviewedWhat does DRI (direct reduced iron) mean?
Direct reduced iron (also called sponge iron) is made by removing oxygen from iron ore pellets or lumps using a reducing gas, usually made from natural gas (or coal in India), at temperatures below melting point. It is then melted, usually in an electric arc furnace, to make steel. The DRI route avoids the coke and blast furnace of the traditional route, so it emits less carbon dioxide, and it could be close to zero-carbon if run on green hydrogen. It is widely used where gas is cheap, such as in the Gulf and Iran, and India is the largest producer, mostly using coal. Example: a gas-based plant making 2 million tonnes of DRI a year, using about 10 gigajoules of gas per tonne, needs about 20 million gigajoules of gas a year.
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Related terms
- EAF (electric arc furnace)A furnace that makes steel by melting scrap or DRI with electricity.
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